hair algae removal, again!!!

banga13 · 04/06/2007, 04:33 PM

I had a new thought about removing my hair algae. Not sure if it's a good idea or not. I need to do my water change so I was thinking if I syphoned out 5gal of water from my tank into a bucket, scrubbed each rock to get all of the hair algae off and then quickly dip it in RO water before I put it back in the tank.
I already forsee two problems with this.
I just fianlly got the aquascaping where I want it after tearing it apart to catch a fish and will NEVER get it back that way.
I'm afraid I'll kill a lot of good stuff scrubbing and with the freshwater rinse.

Will the benefits of ridding my system (hopefully) of hair algae outweigh the risk of bad aquascaping and the death of good stuff in the rock.

What do you think??

Leslie

banga13 · 04/06/2007, 04:34 PM

also, would I be able to do this with the rock that has coral? 1 green ricordia and finger leather.

six.line · 04/06/2007, 04:42 PM

Hate to say this, ma'am, but you're more likely to kill the coral and other beneficial creatures and spur more hair algae growth.

Do you have a refugium? The best way to fight it is to scale back feeding and grow chaeto with a light that's on 24/7, and maybe buy a few creatures known to munch on it. Hermit crabs, sea hares, lettice nudibranchs, turbosnails, etc...

HTH

banga13 · 04/06/2007, 05:35 PM

working on the refugium, just got a new cleanup crew, hermits, snails, emerald crabs, sand siftin cuc and an algae blenny that doesn't seem to touch the hair algae.
I understand that the corals would probably not fare well but that's only 3 out of a dozen rocks.
is it the scrubbing or the freshwater dip that is the hole in my theory? How can it spur more growth.
please understand, it's not that I am second guessing you I just need to understand.
I have already cut back feeding , cut back the amount of time my lights are on , and upped my clean-up crew. I spend tons of time trying to pick it all out and can't seem to get a handle on it. All of my bulbs are new, my skimmer is running great.
I'm running out of ideas.
man I thought I had a good one this time too. Bummer!!

drummereef · 04/06/2007, 07:42 PM

banga13, please answer these questions and maybe I can help.

1. How old is the tank, when did you set it up?
2. What are your nitrates and phosphates?
3. Do you use RO/DI water?
4. If so, what is the tds?

six.line · 04/06/2007, 07:53 PM

banga:

I'd be happy if you second guessed me. I'm just a fellow aquarist; I don't have all the answers. You're wise to ask questions, never be afraid of ruffling feathers.

The reason the freshwater dip would do more damage than good is because of how much would die off and provide more of a source of nutrients for the hair algae to feed off of.

I think the biggest dent in the hair algae problem is always the refugium. drummereef brings up some great points as well. All new tanks go through a hair algae bloom, you just have to limp along. If your tank isn't new, then you'll want to address the issue of where the extra nutrients are coming from. Tap water can be loaded with junk that facilitates hair algae growth. Whatever water source you're using (RODI or tap) take it to a store/friend and test it for TDS (total dissolved solids). That'll tell you if you're introducing any problems by virtue of the water. RO/DI units are a subject in and of themselves, and are the single greatest way to get water quality on par.

HTH

Good luck.

eddie c · 04/06/2007, 10:54 PM

when i started my tank i got some live rock from someone tearing down there tank and it had tons of zoas along with hair and bubble algae, i took the rock and pulled off as much as i could and then i scrubbed the rest off and then put in some saltwater without lights for a couple of days with a skimmer running then rinsed it in ro water and put it in my tank, that was over two years ago and the algae hasn't returned and the zoas also survived.

starsbravo · 04/06/2007, 11:07 PM

Let me tell you something that worked for me. I was in the same boat as you. I had corals on rocks that I didnt want to take out and scrub, fearing I would kill the corals. I took a tweezer and some fresh water and began plucking away over and over putting the plucked out algae in the freash water to rinse the tweezers. I plucked just enough for the snails to take action. Then I bought a bunch of astrea snails and placed them directly on the problem. I of course use DI water, cut back the lighting to a couple hours a day and ran rowaphos. The combination of all took care of the problem. Just give it time. The most important thing is to just work on pulling as much as possible hence using the tweezers for hard to reach places.

banga13 · 04/07/2007, 05:47 AM

the tank is over two years old. I have an RO unit without the DI attatchment, nitrate and phosphate both test 0!? I have never heard of testing for tds but am hoping to go to the lfs today and will see if they can do that.

Hopefully I can get my refuguim up and running soon. I'm trying to turn my useless skilter filter into a refugium. having a hard time finding macro algae locally.

Thank you everyone for the advice

04/06/2007, 04:33 PM	#1
banga13 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Jefferson,new york Posts: 216	hair algae removal, again!!! I had a new thought about removing my hair algae. Not sure if it's a good idea or not. I need to do my water change so I was thinking if I syphoned out 5gal of water from my tank into a bucket, scrubbed each rock to get all of the hair algae off and then quickly dip it in RO water before I put it back in the tank. I already forsee two problems with this. I just fianlly got the aquascaping where I want it after tearing it apart to catch a fish and will NEVER get it back that way. I'm afraid I'll kill a lot of good stuff scrubbing and with the freshwater rinse. Will the benefits of ridding my system (hopefully) of hair algae outweigh the risk of bad aquascaping and the death of good stuff in the rock. What do you think?? Leslie

04/06/2007, 04:42 PM	#3
six.line Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Logan, UT Posts: 775	Hate to say this, ma'am, but you're more likely to kill the coral and other beneficial creatures and spur more hair algae growth. Do you have a refugium? The best way to fight it is to scale back feeding and grow chaeto with a light that's on 24/7, and maybe buy a few creatures known to munch on it. Hermit crabs, sea hares, lettice nudibranchs, turbosnails, etc... HTH __________________ This post approved by Mrs. Sixline. assign <= six.line(#FFFFFF && string("nerdy")) Current Tank Info: 30 gallon with 10 gallon sump

04/06/2007, 07:42 PM	#5
drummereef Team RC Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: STL Posts: 14,754	banga13, please answer these questions and maybe I can help. 1. How old is the tank, when did you set it up? 2. What are your nitrates and phosphates? 3. Do you use RO/DI water? 4. If so, what is the tds? __________________ -Brett 180g Marineland Starfire In-Wall 278 gallon system

04/06/2007, 07:53 PM	#6
six.line Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Logan, UT Posts: 775	banga: I'd be happy if you second guessed me. I'm just a fellow aquarist; I don't have all the answers. You're wise to ask questions, never be afraid of ruffling feathers. The reason the freshwater dip would do more damage than good is because of how much would die off and provide more of a source of nutrients for the hair algae to feed off of. I think the biggest dent in the hair algae problem is always the refugium. drummereef brings up some great points as well. All new tanks go through a hair algae bloom, you just have to limp along. If your tank isn't new, then you'll want to address the issue of where the extra nutrients are coming from. Tap water can be loaded with junk that facilitates hair algae growth. Whatever water source you're using (RODI or tap) take it to a store/friend and test it for TDS (total dissolved solids). That'll tell you if you're introducing any problems by virtue of the water. RO/DI units are a subject in and of themselves, and are the single greatest way to get water quality on par. HTH Good luck. __________________ This post approved by Mrs. Sixline. assign <= six.line(#FFFFFF && string("nerdy")) Current Tank Info: 30 gallon with 10 gallon sump

04/06/2007, 10:54 PM	#7
eddie c Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Sacramento, Ca Posts: 414	when i started my tank i got some live rock from someone tearing down there tank and it had tons of zoas along with hair and bubble algae, i took the rock and pulled off as much as i could and then i scrubbed the rest off and then put in some saltwater without lights for a couple of days with a skimmer running then rinsed it in ro water and put it in my tank, that was over two years ago and the algae hasn't returned and the zoas also survived. __________________ EDDIE. "don't believe everything you think" Current Tank Info: 75g reef ready with 40 gallon trigger sump/refugium , tunze power head, vectra 2 return pump, Kessil AP9X lighting, reef octopus skimmer and have a battery back for both pumps.

04/06/2007, 04:34 PM	#2
banga13 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Jefferson,new york Posts: 216	also, would I be able to do this with the rock that has coral? 1 green ricordia and finger leather.

04/06/2007, 05:35 PM	#4
banga13 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Jefferson,new york Posts: 216	working on the refugium, just got a new cleanup crew, hermits, snails, emerald crabs, sand siftin cuc and an algae blenny that doesn't seem to touch the hair algae. I understand that the corals would probably not fare well but that's only 3 out of a dozen rocks. is it the scrubbing or the freshwater dip that is the hole in my theory? How can it spur more growth. please understand, it's not that I am second guessing you I just need to understand. I have already cut back feeding , cut back the amount of time my lights are on , and upped my clean-up crew. I spend tons of time trying to pick it all out and can't seem to get a handle on it. All of my bulbs are new, my skimmer is running great. I'm running out of ideas. man I thought I had a good one this time too. Bummer!!

04/06/2007, 11:07 PM	#8
starsbravo Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: El Paso, TX Posts: 458	Let me tell you something that worked for me. I was in the same boat as you. I had corals on rocks that I didnt want to take out and scrub, fearing I would kill the corals. I took a tweezer and some fresh water and began plucking away over and over putting the plucked out algae in the freash water to rinse the tweezers. I plucked just enough for the snails to take action. Then I bought a bunch of astrea snails and placed them directly on the problem. I of course use DI water, cut back the lighting to a couple hours a day and ran rowaphos. The combination of all took care of the problem. Just give it time. The most important thing is to just work on pulling as much as possible hence using the tweezers for hard to reach places. __________________ When will I finally get it right? Current Tank Info: 36 gal Reef & 90 gal rimless w/30 gal sump

04/07/2007, 05:47 AM	#9
banga13 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Jefferson,new york Posts: 216	the tank is over two years old. I have an RO unit without the DI attatchment, nitrate and phosphate both test 0!? I have never heard of testing for tds but am hoping to go to the lfs today and will see if they can do that. Hopefully I can get my refuguim up and running soon. I'm trying to turn my useless skilter filter into a refugium. having a hard time finding macro algae locally. Thank you everyone for the advice